


you oughta stay

by orphan_account



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: (and this grate wont come down), Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friends to Lovers, It's late, Lams - Freeform, M/M, ayyyyyy, based off of champagne from in the heights, but its also, heavily, its sad, save me from this hell in which I am living
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-08-27 16:11:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8408140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Alex is leaving Charleston for Columbia, and John is not happy.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in the span of an hour I'm proud of myself

****

John cautiously walked down the street making sure that no one- especially not his father- was watching him. What he was doing was sure to land him in copious amounts of trouble.

John cautiously opened the door, making sure that there were no other people in the coffee shop that could overhear them.

John cautiously approached Alex, he swore to himself he'd confess his attraction to his best friend, even if it put their friendship in jeopardy. It was a risk that John was willing to take. His hands shifted as he lay his backpack down on one of the empty tables "So I got you a present. Doing anything tonight?

"Cleaning," came Alex's usual reply as he finished washing down the table. He had to work two jobs in addition to school just to pay the down payment for his tuition for the first year of college. John had no idea how he did it.

"Done for the day," John insisted.

"No way," Alex protested, "I have too much work to do, maybe later-" Knowing Alex, later very well meant  _ never. _

John couldn't bear it anymore, he cut him off, "‘Cuz we got a date." As soon as the words left his mouth he felt a wave of regret wash over him.

"Okay—" Alex began, smiling as if to affirm that John meant it in the most Straight Dudes Being Straight way. He would try again later.

"Before you board that plane," John began. He didn't want Alex to move miles away to New York City, and he realized that his intentions were incredibly selfish, "I owe you a bottle of cold champagne." John opened his backpack to reveal the bottle he'd smuggled from his father's liquor cabinet moments before leaving the house for “tutoring”.

"No…" Alex interrupted, a smile creeping onto his face. When they were younger John and Alex had had some... interesting encounters with an attempt underage drinking. Since then the two had shared an intense curiosity for what champagne actually tasted like. Today they would find out.

"Yeah, cold champagne," John repeated, excitedly watching as Alex's eyes lit up. He handed over the bottle for Alex to inspect.

"Damn, the bottle’s all sweaty and everything. You went and got this—" His eyes filled with a sense of surprise that only Alex could be feeling right now. Since he’d left the Isle of St. Nevis as a child, acts of kindness towards him were few and far between.

"Pop the champagne," John encouraged.

"I don’t know if I’m allowed to use the coffee cups. Or plastic cups," Alex sighed. "Dammit, I can't even receive a gift well,"

Before he could turn this into a fully fledged panic attack, John put his finger to Alex's lips, "Tonight we’re drinking straight from the bottle." Alex didn't respond for a while, still mesmerized by the gift.

"Yeah?" Alex responded, suddenly snapping out of a trance

"Angelica told me what you did for me." John was, of course referring to how he got the oldest Schuyler Sister to sign onto John's new lease on the opposite side of the city. Alex suddenly blushed profusely and went back to attempting to open the champagne bottle. "And it’s honestly the sweetest thing anyone ever did for me." John assured him, "Now, what can I say or do to possibly repay you for your kindness?"

Alex looked up, "How do you get this gold shit off?" He indicated to the foil lining the rim of the bottle.

“Alexander!” John protested.

“Yeah!” Alex put his hands up in defense. He didn’t particularly like it when people used his full name.

“Before we both leave town!” John encouraged, ”Let’s walk around the neighborhood and say our goodbyes.” He thought that was a good date idea (was it a date? He still didn’t know).

Alex stayed behind, leaning against the barista counter. “Alex are you alright?” John asked.

“I’m fine, I’m tryn’a open this champagne!” Alex insisted, looking ready to punch the damn thing open. “See the twisty thing is broken, but I’m gonna open this damn champagne!”

“Lemme see it,” John offered.

“No, I got it!” Alex insisted, trying to use some loose part of a coffee machine for what was definitely not it’s intended purpose.

“Alex, drop the champagne!” John ordered before his friend could cause serious damage.

“I mean you went to all this trouble to get us a little bubbly—” Alex felt incredibly guilty.

“And it’s gonna be okay,” John promised, taking Alex’s hand into his own.

“I’m sorry, it’s been a long day,” Alex sighed, finally looking John in the eyes, revealing the dark circles under his own.

“You oughta stay,” John thought out loud. Of course, this was  _ completely _ irrational. What kind of person would he have to be to force his best friend to give up on his dreams for himself? 

“What?” Alex echoed.

“I’m sure it’s not too late to apply to Charleston Southern, you could-” John trailed off. What he was suggesting was incredibly irrational.

“Ha ha, very funny,” Alex raised an eyebrow.

“And it’s not like Phillip’s got role models—” Phillip was Alex’s younger foster brother, an 11-year-old with a similar background and attitude. Alex was the only one who could really control him.

“Don’t bring Phillip into this,” Alex retorted, getting more angry

“Sorry,” John immediately apologized, “I just wish you would stay,”

“Stay?” Alex was genuinely confused, “John, you’re leaving too—”

“I’m going down to SC state; it’s an hour away,” John protested.

“Your point is?” Alex asked sarcastically.

“You’re leaving the state, and we’re never gonna see you again—” John was on the verge of tears.

“It’ll be okay,” Alex promised. “I wish you weren’t mad at me but-”

John cut him off, “I wish I was mad. I’m just too late,” he decided. He made his way to the exit. He should never have came here.

“Too late for what?” Alex asked, running to catch up to John. 

“For you,” John confessed, “I-I have a crush on you.” He felt his heart being ripped out of his body in the three seconds it took Alexander to respond.

“Well,” Alex responded, “If this is your way of asking me out, then yes, of course, one hundred times yes!” Unlike John, it was harder to detect the complete joy behind the statement, but it was definitely present. 

“Can I kiss you?” John asked. Crap, he should not have let that out definitely not. Oh my god he just blew the one chance he had with-

“My dearest Laurens,” Alex said - _ John could definitely get used to this- _ “Nothing would make me happier.”


End file.
